The Leap
by moonyandpadfoot07
Summary: He went for the leap. The two of them landed at the bottom of the stairs. Kotoko was safe, but Naoki was unconscious. If Naoki hadn't saved her from the fall, he wouldn't have forgotten about his tennis practice and the upcoming match. He wouldn't have forgotten the past two years, and certainly, he wouldn't have forgotten about Kotoko.
1. The Day Before

**The Leap**

_**The Day Before**_

He went for the leap. He wrapped her in his arms so tight, his hands at the back of her head. Squeezing his eyes shut, Naoki prepared for the fall. It would hurt, but at least he'd save her from the injury.

Kotoko clutched Naoki's arm in fear as gravity pulled both of them closer to the cold hard cement. She was just descending the stairs when it happened. The next thing she knew Naoki was behind her, and they were falling.

The two of them landed at the bottom of the stairs, head first. Kotoko was safe, but Naoki was unconscious. His jet black hair was covered in blood.

A crowd gathered around them, but no one dared to give them a hand. Gasps and screams filled Kotoko's ears, and tears cascaded down her cheeks as she cried out for help.

"Someone call 119!"


	2. Chapter 1

The Leap

One

"Thank goodness," Kotoko's dad muttered in her ear as he hugged his daughter in relief. "Thank God you're safe."

Kotoko gulped, but she couldn't take in the guilt. She was completely unharmed. If she hadn't been stupid enough not to see the styro cup at the top of the stairs, Naoki's life wouldn't be on the line.

Kotoko could hear Mrs. Irie's sobs loud and clear, and Mr. Irie's footsteps pounding on the floor as he paced back and forth in front of the operating room. Yuki was staring at the ground the whole time, his face as hard as stone.

Mr. Irie gave his wife a squeeze, and told her "He's going to be all right." But Mrs. Irie' sobs turned into even louder cries as she buried her face on her hands.

Kotoko stood before Naoki's parents and knelt on the ground. She bowed so low she almost kissed the floor with her pale dry lips and stifled a cry. "I'm sorry!"

Mrs. Irie removed her hands from her face as soon as she heard Kotoko, and was surprised to see her on the ground. Mr. Irie's jaw dropped, but quickly came back to his senses and helped Kotoko get up from the floor.

"No, Kotoko. It's not your fault." Mr. Irie told her firmly, but Kotoko shook her head in despair. She cried harder and pushed herself away from his touch.

"I've been causing him—all of you so much trouble." She forced herself to speak, her voice shaking. "I'm terribly sorry."

Mrs. Irie kissed Kotoko's forehead and rubbed her back. "No, dear. Don't say that. My husband is right. Naoki can fight this."

Kotoko's lips trembled at the sound of his name. She broke into a cry, and rested her head on Mrs. Irie's shoulder.

And then suddenly, Yuki got up on his feet and walked closer to see her. She looked back at him, her eyes all red and puffy.

"Whatever Onii-chan did, he did it for you. So don't blame yourself. He perfectly knew he's gonna get hurt, but he still saved you." Yuki had the most gentle and reassuring expression as he told her this. "Now get a hold of yourself."

Kotoko stared at him, dumbfounded. How could a child like him be so wise?

The O.R. doors opened, and everyone stood still. The doctor removed his face mask and told them the good news: The operation was a success.

"We had to treat his head injury by stopping the bleeding. The bleeding was caused by a physical trauma that he got when he fell. But there's nothing to worry about. He should wake up in a few hour's time."

Everyone of them heaved out a sigh of relief. Mr. Irie slumped back to the chair behind him and smiled in delight. "Thank you, doctor. Thank you!"

Mrs. Irie shook the dotor's hands in gratitude. More tears fell from her eyes. "You saved our son!"

Yuki put his hands up in the air and stretched. "Told ya."

He looked around to see Kotoko, but she wasn't there.

* * *

A few hours later, a new doctor entered Naoki's private room together with two nurses. They all held clipboards and pens and surrounded Naoki on his bed.

"We're going to have some questions for you, sir." The doctor said. Naoki looked at him with a blank expression.

"Okay, what's your name?"

"Irie, Naoki." He replied in a hoarse voice. His family watched him silently as he responded.

"Good. Okay, so next one: do you remember these people?" The doctor pointed out Naoki's parents and his brother and he nodded. "Yes, I do remember."

"You're doing well." The doctor scribbled on his clipboard and went on, "Okay, so, what year is it today?"

"2011." Naoki replied.

Everyone in the room exchanged nervous looks.

"Looks like we have a slight problem." The doctor told them.

" What's wrong?" Naoki asked.

"Onii-chan," Yuki began. "Today is April 7, 2013."

Naoki looked at him in shock. The rest fell silent.

Mustering all her strength, Kotoko stepped forward and bowed in apology. "I'm really, really sorry, Irie-kun! If hadn't been so careless I—"

"Wait," Naoki cut in. "Who are you?"


	3. Chapter 2

The Leap

Two

"Normally, patients do not remember the accident itself ," The doctor's voice echoed inside his head as he unpacked his things on the bed. There were dirty clothes, empty water bottles, tissue and lot of trash. Naoki was a tidy person, but this time he didn't feel like tidying up his stuff. He just put everything in his backpack like he didn't care.

He opened the windows for a bit of fresh air. Two days in the hospital was something he least expected.

He couldn't have been that careless, could he? He asked himself. His mother told him he fell down the stairs when he was in school. Kotoko, or at least that was his mother called her, was there when it happened. He saw her right after he woke up. She was apologizing profusely to him for what happened, but he didn't understand why.

But more importantly, what was he doing with the girl from Class F?

Naoki was told to visit the doctor once a week for regular check-ups and instances when he'd experience head aches and such. He asked the doctor how long the recovery would take. He told him his memory might come back, but not right away. However, considering the fact that not all patients suffering from memory loss were able to completely recover, the doctor told him to expect for the worse. "Tell me immediately if you feel any pain, or if you remember something." Naoki remembered him say. "You'd be discharged later, son."

He sighed. Was losing two years of his memory a big deal? And come to think of it; if today was 2013, this meant he was already a college student. What on earth is this? He couldn't even remember what program he took, or where he was studying.

What happened in the last two years? He could get his life back, right? It wasn't as if he'd forgotten everything about himself.

And just right then, he saw a glint on his left hand. He looked at it, curious about the ring on his finger. He took it off to take a closer look.

He stared at it. It was weird. Did it really belong to him?

He was about to take a peek at the inner side of the ring when his bedroom door blasted open. The ring fell off from his hand and rolled on the floor.

"Onii-chan? It's dinner time."

" I'm coming." Naoki told his younger brother and closed the door. _It might have went under the bed._ He thought. _I'm going to look for it later._

When he came down, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a feast. A banner was propped high on the wall saying, "Congratulations to Onii-chan!" Everyone was on the farther side of the table, clapping.

"What is this for?" Naoki said as he went to his seat. His mother kissed him on the cheek and pinched him. His father laughed as he sat down and Yuki quickly went to seat beside his older brother. There was a man across Naoki who wore clothes from a Japanese restaurant and a girl beside the man. _Kotoko._

What was she doing here?

"You don't have to guard me 27/7." Naoki said to her. "I'm not your responsibility."

"You _are _my responsibility." Kotoko told him with a smile.

"Stop acting as if you're my girlfriend." Naoki snapped at her.

Everyone in the room exchanged looks. Kotoko's eyes widened.

"But I'm _not _you're girlfriend!"

Naoki rolled his eyes. "Giving me a love letter doesn't mean that I share the same feelings for you! Stop acting like we're close."

"Love letter? What love letter?" Mrs. Irie asked her son.

"Don't tell me you gave him another one!" Yuki said with a grin.

"I did not!" Kotoko exclaimed. His cheeks were turning red. "Irie-kun, stop talking about the past!"

Mr. Aihara joined in. "Maybe Naoki-kun thinks the letter was too childish." He smiled. "But he memorized everything that was written on it!" Kotoko's dad laughed.

Naoki raised his eyebrows. "I haven't even read it yet, sir."

"Sir?" Mr. Aihara roared in laughter. "Boy, you don't have to be so polite! Geez, don't act like we're not family."

Naoki looked at him with a weird expression on his face. "I beg your pardon?"

"Onii-chan!" Mrs. Irie called on him. "Let us talk about this later."

"No, no, no, wait!" Naoki said firmly. "Can you repeat that, Sir?"

Kotoko's dad stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Irie-kun," Kotoko began. Her face was pale. "Where's your ring?"

"My ring? Oh, did you give that to me?" Naokie asked. His eyes darted on her hand. She was wearing the same ring he saw earlier.

Kotoko stood up. "I-Irie-kun?" She was about to cry.

Yuki bit his lip. Mrs. Irie cleared her throat to speak. "Onii-chan, tell me; how much do you remember?"

"Well, I..." Naoki's voice trailed off. There was a pause. _No, it can't be._

"I'm married to _Kotoko_?"


	4. Chapter 3

The Leap

Three

All the time Kotoko was only thinking about her husband.

She was going to the medical department to see him. It was Friday, a week after their honeymoon. People were talking about them. Girls were jealous of her. For the first time she felt so important, so beloved. She was the center of attention.

Because he wasn't the Kotoko they used to know.

Finally, she was achieving something. She was transferring to the medical department too, and take up nursing so she would be able to be by Naoki's side at all times.

He would be needing her and she would be needing him. This was the perfect plan.

But never had she realized that happiness was about to vanish as soon as it came into sight.

There was a cup. _A cup_. Why hadn't she seen it? It was there. Just right there. If she wasn't too ecstatic to see him, things would have been the other way around.

She was supposed to be the one to be injured, not him.

She was supposed be the the one who had the stupid bandage on the head, not him.

She was supposed to be suffering the consequences, not Naoki.

Not Naoki, her wonderful, beloved husband.

And if she had only been a little careful that time.

But Naoki had to be there on the medical department. What was he doing in her building? He was behind her when she slipped. He was there to save her just in time.

This wasn't the first time she felt so miserable about herself. There were a lot of times in the past when she thought of giving up on Naoki. No matter how hard she tried to catch his attention, she always ended up being ignored. She felt so insignificant, so useless for begging his attention. She never did anything right. Never.

And then just when she thought things were going her way, they took another course of action.

The door opened. She looked up to see Naoki, dressed in his pyjamas ready to sleep.

Kotoko quickly got up and went for the door. Naoki went to bed. For a moment she looked at his back. It was the back she used to face and draw lines on when he was asleep. She used to write their names on his back inside a big heart.

"Hey," Naoki said coldly.

"I-Irie-kun!" Kotoko jumped. "I'm turning the lights off! Goodnight." She turned the knob, but a voice behind her said, "Where are you going?"

"M-me? I'm going to bed too!" Kotoko nervously laughed. "See you!"

"Aren't you going to sleep here?"

Kotoko stared at him in amazement. Was Naoki really offering the bed?

"Well I guess you find it very uncomfortable to sleep with me tonight," Naoki said as he pulled the pillow to his face. "Goodnight."

Kotoko closed to her. _Of course_, she thought, _I have to sleep in my old room._

She went to her room and found Yuki snoring on the bed.

"Looks like I have to sleep beside Irie-kun, afterall." She giggled. Kotoko closed the door and quietly walked to the other room. She turned the knob once more and crept onto the bed beside him. Seeing Naoki wearing matching pyjamas made her smile from ear to ear.

"I thought you were in the other room." Naoki said.

Kotoko's eyes widened. "Irie-kun! I thought you were asleep."

"I was, but with you around I find it very hard to go back to sleep."

"I'm sorry," Kotoko chuckled.

"And stop moving. I'm going to push off the bed if you move a finger." Said Naoki.

Kotoko pursed her lips. Yes, this certainly _was_ her husband.

* * *

Everyone was present at breakfast. Yuki was spreading jam on his bread, and Mr. Irie and Mr. Aihara were sipping coffee. The two men were talking something about cars, but Kotoko didn't dare listen to them. Approaching the dining table was Naoki who had just woken up.

Mrs. Irie was back from the stove after frying eggs for the family. Naoki sat in his usual spot which was next to Yuuki's, and did his daily morning routine: reading the newspaper.

"Good morning, Onii-chan!" Mrs. Irie chirped gleefully as she passed the plate to Kotoko.

"Hmm," Naoki hummed in reply. Kotoko looked at him while drinking her orange juice and observed him. Naoki might have felt her gaze so he glared at her, much to Kotoko's surprise.

"Ala," Mrs. Irie began. "You two are going to be late for school!"

Naoki ignored his mother but Kotoko politely replied, "I'm staying at home today, Mother."

Naoki flipped the next page of the newspaper and snapped at her. "Tsk."

Kotoko glanced at him in a brief moment and turned quickly to Mrs. Irie. "As his wife, it is my duty to take care of Irie-kun at a time like this. I'm taking the day off to spend time with him."

"Actually, I prefer being alone today." Naoki said coldly.

"I don't think so!" Mrs. Irie told her son. She held Kotoko's hand. Like a true mother to her, she proudly said, "I am so blessed to have a daughter-in-law like you! You are certainly making the right decision, my dear."

The two women exchanged sweet smiles much to Naoki's annoyance. Yuki coughed.

"Give me a break! I can't sleep last night because of her!" Naoki pointed his finger at Kotoko.

"But you said last night I could sleep on the same bed with you!" Kotoko demanded.

Mrs. Irie placed a hand on her lips. "Oh, really? Onii-chan, that was sweet of you!"

"Yuki was in the other room so I didn't have any choice to let her back in." Naoki explained.

Mr. Irie sighed. "All right. That's enough everyone. Shouldn't we be enjoying the day? It's a bright Monday morning!"

Mr. Aihara nodded in agreement. "Iri-chan's right, Kotoko. How about you and Naoki-kun take a stroll in the park and you know," He tilted his head a little to the right. "Talk about some things?"

Naoki raised his eyebrows.

"Does the school know about Onii-chan losing his memory?" Yuki asked. "You didn't tell friends yet, did you?" He eyed her suspiciously.

"N-no," Kotoko shook her head.

"I don't think it will be a good idea to let them know about it." Said Mrs. Irie. "You'll never know, Kotoko. Somebody might steal Onii-chan away from you!"

Kotoko's eyes became the size of tennis balls. She gasped.

"And it will be a lot of trouble for me." He paused, and gave what he was about to say a thought. "Say, are we all lovey-dovey at school?"

Yuki accidentally spat out the juice he was drinking.

Kotoko grinned at him. "Yes."

Naoki stared at her. "I don't believe you."

Her jaw dropped.

"I don't even know why I married you! Are you sure Mom didn't force me into this?"

"You fell in love with me Irie-kun, like you were head over heels for me." Kotoko smirked.

_I might have hurt my head way before the accident. _Naoki thought. _I can't be in love with her._


	5. Chapter 4

The Leap

Four

Naoki sighed in exasperation. "I'm fine, and stop doing _that_!" He snarled at Kotoko. The poor girl didn't have a choice but to raise her hands in defeat. "Okay, okay!"

Smoke filled the kitchen. Kotoko coughed and immediately put the fire out in the stove. She was actually _trying_ to cook something for Naoki.

Whatever it was, he didn't want to know. Who knows what kind of living thing lived in the pot she was using? And where was his mother? She wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Naoki flipped the page of the album, astonished with the hundreds of pictures of him and Kotoko. There were three more albums to go, and they were all patiently waiting for him at the center table.

A seemingly interesting photo caught his eye.

He took it out from the album and held it closer to his eyes. What was he doing there? It looked like he was putting his arm around Kotoko, who had her hands clapped to her face in embarrasment. Her face was red as a tomato. _Wait,_ was he smirking?

"Hey," Naoki suddenly called out. "When was this?" He raised the photo for Kotoko to see.

Kotoko coughed, and approached him with a spatula on her hand. "Oh! That was on Christmas."

"Christmas?"

Kotoko nodded. "Yeah and," She stood still at her spot.

_Did her brain malfunction or something? _The cold blooded Naoki thought.

He watched her face turn the same shade as the one in the photo. He found it unbelieavable amusing, and forced himself not to smile. He wanted to deny it, but she definitely looked adorable doing that face.

"I-I don't think you should be looking at this stuff!" Kotoko quickly snatched away the album and hugged it.

"Give it back to me!" Naoki ordered.

"J-just look at the other ones!" She suggested. "There might be far more interesting pictures there! T-that one!" Kotoko pointed out the biggest album and said, "That one has your baby pictures! Go look at them!"

Naoki raised his eyebrows. "But I need my high school pictures!" He stood up in rage.

Kotoko ran upstairs and stuck out a tongue. Naoki was losing his patience.

"Hey!"

He chased after her. _She's annoying as heck!_

Kotoko locked the door to their room and went around in circles. She was thinking of a place where she could temporarily hide the album. She had to hurry up, or else Naoki would take it from her.

Now she could hear his footsteps. Following her instinct, Kotoko hid inside the closet.

Naoki turned the knob. "It's locked." He paused for a moment and went downstairs to search for the extra key.

Kotoko listened carefully to Naoki's footsteps. When they were gone, Kotoko pushed the closet door with her foot.

It didn't open.

She tried harder. She kicked it once more, but it didn't open.

Kotoko was starting to get nervous. It was dark inside. She was scared of closed places.

"Irie-kun?"

There was no response.

"Oh God," She bit her lip. She knocked on the closet and called his name again. "Irie-kun?"

But Naoki was in the kitchen. He searched in the drawers. The key wasn't there. Where could it be?

And then it occured to him. _Did I forget where the key was?_

He went upstairs and checked on Kotoko. He pressed his ear on the door but he can't hear anything.

"Kotoko?"

There was a thump. He pressed his ear closer to hear the sound.

"_Irie-kun!"_

Without having second thoughts, Naoki kicked the door with full force.

"Kotoko!" He looked around, but she wasn't to be found.

"_Irie-kun!" _He spun around. Where was her voice coming from?

"_Irie-kun!" _Kotoko was crying so hard it was very difficult to breathe. The tears kept trickling down her face.

He could hear sobs. He started to panic. "Where are you?"

"In—inside the—" But even before Kotoko could finish her sentence, the closet opened with a bang. Naoki came to rescue her.

In his eyes, Kotoko was a lost child. She looked very distressed. He saw her face light up as soon as he came into her sight.

He patted her head. "Shhh," he said as he comforted her. He knew he wasn't the sympathetic type, but doing it felt perfectly normal.

* * *

Why, of all people, did he marry her?

Naoki was getting ready for school. He grabbed his bag as he went out of the room, thinking about Kotoko. Why? The idea of being forced into the marriage by no other than his persistent mother was popping in his head, but it didn't seem quite possible. No matter how pushy his mother was, he wouldn't give in to her selfish requests.

The more he thought of it, the more it became ridiculous to him. How could he be married at the age of twenty? He gratuated from high school just two years ago!

But deep inside, he felt only eighteen.

_No, no, no, _Naoki thought. _You're twenty, and you're a college student._

He had to convince himself over and over again. He wasn't in high school anymore. He didn't have to attend classes in Tonan High anymore. He didn't have to carry the bag he owned since first year. He didn't have to do all those things anymore.

But not knowing the last two years of his life made him feel terrible. It felt a little scary, like he didn't know himself anymore. But what was it in two years that was driving him crazy? Why did it feel like there was a void in his soul? Why did it feel like he lost something very important to him?

Naoki ruffled his head in frustration. Why couldn't he remember?

He was halfway down the stairs when he realized he was not moving at all. He shrugged the thought off and proceeded to the dining room.

Only to find out something he never expected.

Kotoko was standing there dressed in her high school clothes. "Hi, Irie-kun!"

"What the heck are you—" But even before he finished his sentence, Kotoko went on with what she was going to say.

"You don't have classes on Tuesdays." Kotoko beamed at him. She twirled around and put her hands at her hips.

Naoki wasn't aware of his schedule, but she knew he didn't have classes on Tuesdays.

"How do I look?" She asked with a bright smile.

Naoki furrowed his eyebrows. "Have you gone nuts? Take them off!"

"Well," Kotoko twirled a few strands of her brown hair. "I figured out maybe your memory would come back if we do the things we used to do together in high school." She winked at him.

"We did things _together?_" Naoki looked at her in disbelief. "_In high school?"_

Kotoko bit her lip. "Well, not exactly. But," She paused. "It was fun."

"Fun that you were stalking me all day?"

"Y-yeah but," Kotoko's eyes widened. "Do you now remember?" There was a glint of hope in her eyes.

"No, I just guessed." Naoki put his bag on the couch and sat down. "You seem to be the stalker type."

"What?" Kotoko exclaimed. "Irie-kun, how could you—"

"But you admitted it, right?" A broad smirk formed on his face.

"But..." Kotoko's voice trailed off. She sat on the sofa across him and sighed.

Looking at her made him smile. Maybe she wasn't _that _bad for a wife.


	6. Chapter 5

Five

It's been three weeks since the accident, and Naoki still remembered nothing. For sure, Kotoko wasn't going to give up, but it didn't mean she's not having second thoughts about their marriage.

Was it going to work this way? Her husband knew nothing about her, except for the fact that she was his clumsy, clingy, annoying wife. She was the girl from Class F who moved in to their house in third year and stayed ever since.

And then all of a sudden, all this was forced into him at the moment he opened his eyes. He knew nothing about her except for those. Nothing more than that.

When would he start remembering her?

Kotoko thought about all this alone in the living room, where she sat quietly on the couch with a glass of cold water in hand. It was already 2:30 AM and she couldn't sleep. She was staying up because she had to prepare for the nursing exams.

There was a crash. It turned out she actually lost grip of the glass. It fell and shattered on the ground in many pieces. Kotoko bent down to pick them up. She put the shards on her left palm and gathered them there before throwing them in a trash bin. She was very careful not to hurt hurself so that Naoki wouldn't scold her for being so clumsy.

But would he? Would it matter to him if she got cut? Naoki wouldn't bother to look at her, for sure. He was never going to know if she wouldn't tell him.

The pain seared in her head again. Kotoko massaged her temples to relieve the pain. She was having a lot of headaches lately.

After cleaning her mess completely, Kotoko went upstairs to rest. She didn't know if she could sleep again, but she was sure that she's going to be in a lot of stress for the next few days. Finals were only five days away.

* * *

Satomi was moaning on about the upcoming finals, in which Kotoko smiled wearily in response. She flipped the page to three hundred and ninety four, and began reciting names of narcotics. She went on and on until it was already three o' clock when Satomi and Jinko told her they had to get going. She waved at them and watched as her two friends walked away and vanish in sight. Kotoko sighed. She had to go home now, too.

She glanced at her wrist watch that said 3:02. She was getting sleepy. Kotoko rested her head at the back plank of the bench and sprawled her legs. She closed her eyes. She felt the breeze gently touch her face, and thought of how relaxing the afternoon was. She was sitting on a bench under a tree where she rewrote and reviewed her notes. Seconds ticked on the clock, and finally, Kotoko was asleep.

She was in a forest. She was sitting under a tree with a book about flowers resting on her lap. She opened her eyes and saw a deer staring at her. She wondered. She looked at it for a while before realizing that animals weren't supposed to act that way when it looked like it was studying her face. She was about to get on her feet when she saw tree roots twined around her feet up to her legs restricting her. The deer started walking away. She stretched her hand and begged for it to come back, until the branches of the tree started to wrap around her arms and hands. She screamed, but the deer never went back.

"Kotoko," she heard a voice behind her.

She didn't turn her head to look. It was a familiar voice calling her, but she didn't move. She was scared.

It took her a while until she finally realized that it was Naoki waking her up.

"Hey." Naoki shook her shoulders. Kotoko stirred. He slightly moved his head to the left, gesturing her to get up. Kotoko immediately got on her feet and packed her things. Naoki started walking. She followed him.

* * *

It was dinner time and everyone was present on the table, except for Kotoko's father. He was still in the restaurant because he was invited to a little celebration with his college friends who just arrived from Hawaii. He told the family not to wait for him anymore and just eat dinner without him, since he's going to have his together with his buddies. Mrs. Irie smiled and told him to enjoy himself and reminded him to take care on his way to the restaurant. She was cheerfully serving the food when Kotoko had to excuse herself to the bathroom, and told them to go ahead and eat.

She opened the faucet and splashed cold water on her face. Kotoko was having headaches again. She dried off her face with a towel, and stared at herself in the mirror.

"You okay?" Yuki knocked on the door. Kotoko opened it for him and beamed at her husband's younger brother. "Yes, thanks for asking."

"I need to use the bathroom," He entered casually and gestured Kotoko to get out. Kotoko gave out a short laugh. She walked back to the dining room and ate with the Irie family just like what she used to do, but this time she was unusually silent. Naoki examined her while chewing on his food and kept an eye on her for the rest of the night. When it was bedtime, he followed her upstairs to their bedroom and started the conversation.

"Why aren't you your usual self today?" He asked her coolly. He crossed his arms and waited for her to answer.

"Oh, I wasn't—I'm just tired." She smiled at him weakly. Kotoko opened the closet and got some set of fresh clothes and proceeded to the bathroom to change into her pyjamas. Naoki was unconvinced so he remained curious about Kotoko's strange behavior.

_What's taking her so long? _Naoki knocked on the door to check her. "Hey, it's my turn to use the bathroom." He said. There was no response.

He knocked on the door once more before deciding to open it, only to see an unconcious body lying on the floor.

As soon as the whole family learned about what happened, Naoki's father hurried to the garage and started the car. The engine roared to life. Naoki, with Kotoko in his arms, his mother and Yuki hopped in the car as soon as the car was ready. "We need to get her to the nearest hopsital as quickly as possible!" His mother panicked. Yuki remained calm throughout the whole ride. His mother began dialing on her phone and called Mr. Aihara, informing him about her daughter. "He's on his way." Mrs. Irie told them.

Naoki had never been so nervous in his whole life. His heart was racing and his mind was clouded with a million thoughts. His head was pounding.

"_Oh, no. You have a slight fever."_

"_Take this, Irie-kun! It's really effective!"_

"_Doesn't it cause drowsiness?"_

"_Throw it up!"_

"_It's a really good thing I came."_

"_This wouldn't have happened if you didn't give me this stupid lucky charm!"_

"_Good luck on your exam, Irie-kun!"_

"_Are you okay, miss?"_

"_I'm fine. Go ahead, Irie-kun!"_

"_I'm sorry, Irie-kun! This is all my fault. If I hadn't come—"_

Images started appearing in his head one by one. Naoki sat still in the car, his mouth slightly opened. He glanced at Kotoko and stared at her.

What was that just now?


	7. Chapter 6

Six

The rain blew violently against the windows as Mr. Irie sped off to the nearest hospital in Tokyo. The first few minutes of the trip went very fast, until he got past Azusagawa Street that he noticed that vehicles were accumulating and the road was getting more and more congested. Because the cars didn't move at all, they've been stuck in the same location for nearly an hour now. Mr. Irie was starting to lose his patience. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel in frustration. They had to get to the hospital very quick.

Everyone in the car was silent, and only Kotoko's breathing could be heard from the back seat. Mr. Irie glanced at the rearview mirror and checked on his daughter-in-law, whose head was lying peacefully on her husband's shoulder. Just then he realized that his son Naoki looked rather tense and weary, unlike before when he remained composed at times like this. He studied his son's face for a moment, debating whether he should begin talking to him or not. He'd like to suggest that Naoki should go and take Kotoko himself to the hospital and leave the car, but that might get things even worse. Next, he turned to look at his wife who was biting her nails anxiously. She sat near the window at the left beside Kotoko and appeared very weary and somnolent at the same time. Finally, Mr. Irie glanced at Yuki, his younger son of the two, and tried to start a conversation with him to break the silence. He was about to open his mouth when he decided to stay silent and focus on the road.

The green sign on the stoplight appeared. Mr. Irie adjusted the gear from neutral to first gear before stepping on the gas and cross the intersection. He remembered intending to beat the red light a little while back before being stuck in the heavy traffic, but doing so meant risking their lives. The road was slippery and he had to be extra careful, so he slowed down as he recalled what the wheather man said on the television; a storm was approaching the capital in the next few hours. It had been a sunny morning and there was absolutely no sign of rain in the day. He didn't think much about it until Naoki woke up the whole house tonight and told them about what happened to Kotoko. Now Mr. Irie regretted ignoring the news, and swore to himself to pay more attention to the wheather report.

The downpour got heavier and heavier by the second, and the wipers were of no use anymore. Mr. Irie couldn't see anything at this point, and he wanted to ask if they still wanted to continue the trip to the hospital. But he was afraid that he might get a lecture from Mrs. Irie, so he pursed his lips once more. And right then, the unthinkable happened: Kotoko woke up.

She stirred from her seat and glanced sideways, unaware of what was happening at the moment. Mrs. Irie gasped.

"Where are we going?" Kotoko voiced out the question in her head while seeing the shocked faces of Mrs. Irie and Naoki who were speechless at the moment. Yuki turned his head to look at her in surprise, and so did Mr. Irie, when the car stopped again and got caught up in the heavy traffic.

"You passed out; that's why we were rushing you to the hospital." Yuki told her when he finally noticed that no one's going to answer Kotoko's question, as they were all busy gawking at her at the moment. Kotoko raised her eyebrows, unable to comprehend what he just said.

"What?"

Mrs. Irie took out a handkerchief from nowhere and blew her nose hard. Yuki looked away in disgust.

"Kotoko-chan," Mr. Irie managed to say.

"Are you alright?" Mrs. Irie squeaked as she tried to calm herself down. Kotoko nodded in response. "Yeah, I think so."

Kotoko fell quiet for a moment, then suggested that they should head back home now. All of them protested, but she assured them that she was going to be fine.

"I really think there's no need to go to the hospital. I'm fine, _really_." She smiled. "Maybe I was just stressed. I was feeling kind of pressured lately." Kotoko tilted her head to the left. "You know, the finals."

Mrs. Irie sighed. "Okay, okay. But make sure—"

Kotoko cut her off by squeezing her mother-in-law's arm. "I'm okay, I promise."

"Well, if that's the case then..." Mr. Irie paused, looking at his wife from the rearview mirror. "Mama, can you call Ai-chan again and tell him to go back home now?" He focused his attention to the road once more. "I'm going to take the U-Turn now." He said as he steered to the left.

* * *

"Can't...breathe!" Kotoko gasped.

When they five of them got home, Mr. Aihara was sitting in the living room alone, waiting. His eyes were on the floor and his fingers crossed when Kotoko tapped him on the shoulder. Mr. Aihara's eyes lit up at the sight of his daughter and immediately pulled her in a brone-crushing hug.

"Sorry," Mr. Aihara let go of her. "Gee, did you know that the taxi just dropped me off when Mrs. Irie called? You really like worrying people, eh?"

Kotoko bowed in apology. "I'm sorry for causing trouble! I promise not to faint ever again!"

"You know that's impossible." Naoki told her. "You always cause trouble."

"Onii-chan!" Mrs. Irie reprimanded her son. "Raise your head, Kotoko-chan! There's no need to apologize. Come on," She urged her to stand straight and gently patted her back. "You'll never know when you're going to get sick!"

"Oba-sama," Kotoko beamed.

"I'm going to bed now." Yuki yawned. "See you tomorrow."

And with that, all of them went back to sleep.

* * *

It was about 5:30 AM when Naoki suddenly started moaning ni his sleep. He rolled to the right, and gripped the blankets tightly. Large beads of cold sweat streamed down from his forehead to his neck, as he continued to roll over to the sides. He looked as if he was having a nightmare. His eyebrows furrowed as the pain in his head got worse by the minute.

"_Irie-kun, will you read this?"_

"_I don't want it."_

"_Dear Irie Naoki-sama,"_

"_...not know me, but I'm always watching you from afar. I first saw you two years ago, when you were giving your speech in the opening ceremony..."_

"_...always watched your tennis practices..."_

"_...see your name at the Top 100 list..."_

"_...and then just like that, I fell for you instantly."_

"_You've seen it? You don't have the right to look through other people's stuff!"_

"_Well, it was addressed to me!"_

Irie's eyes shot wide open.

"Kotoko..." He looked to his left to see his wife sleeping peacefully on the bed with him. They were sharing the same bed, but she looked so distant, so untouchable. He extended his arm and tried to touch her, but he stopped.

He moved his lips and whispered to himself.

"_Who are you?"_


	8. Chapter 7

Seven

It was a chilly Friday night, and Kotoko was walking her way home. Tokyo has never been so alive to her. The city lights were astonishing, and the chatter of happy people rung in her ears as they moved past her. She wore her hair in a ponytail that morning with a lovely pink ribbon she got from Satomi three Christmases ago. But tonight she wore her hair down, her long beutiful hair cascading down her back as she gracefully walked in the park. She could have been celebrating the end of her exams, but there she was, alone and quiet and deep in her thoughts. Finally, she sat on a nearby bench when she felt her feet sore, and decided to take a rest for a few minutes. It was starting to get late, but she didn't feel like returning to the house yet. She placed her bag on her lap and searched for her phone. It wasn't like she was expecting any messages, but she knew in the corner of her heart she was waiting for one—especially from Naoki. Disappointment fell on her. There was none.

She put it away. Just then her phone rang to life, and a sweet tune was heard when she zipped her bag open one more time. Her eyes lit up for a second, only to find out Mrs. Irie's number on the screen. She pressed it on her ear and said, "Hello?"

She nodded. "I'm on my way home. I'm going to be there in a few minutes." She nodded again. "Yes. Don't worry about me. Yes. Okay. Bye."

On the line was a voice of a worrying mother. Kotoko felt a little guilty. It seemed like she was lying, but she was really on her way home, right? She just took a quick break and—

"What are you doing there?"

Just as when she wasn't expecting him, he turned up. Naoki stood a few steps from her, wearning a dark grey shirt. His hands were in his pants' pockets. His face was as stoic was ever, and there was no any emotion in his voice.

"Irie-kun," Kotoko managed to say in a tone of surprise. "Were you looking for me?"

"No." Said Naoki, looking away. "I was just talking a walk. I couldn't sleep."

"Oh." Kotoko pursed her lips. She moved past him, her head low and hands tightly clutched on the strap of her bag. Naoki followed behind .

Kotoko suddenly turned around. Naoki stopped on his tracks and looked her in the eye, an act Kotoko returned by staring back at him intensely. This sight was new to him, but strangely enough he knew he had seen this before. He saw her bight her lip until finally, the girl before him mustered the courage to let her feelings out.

Rage.

"Can't you be a little more considerate? Can't you show any feelings for me at all? Aren't you concerned? I mean," Kotoko closed her eyes and breathed out. "It doesn't matter if you remember me or not." She gulped as she felt a lump forming on her throat. "Do I—Do I mean something to you, Irie-kun?"

He didn't speak. Naoki remained calm, and that pissed Kotoko even more.

"I've had enough of this!"And she ran away. She didn't care if people saw her, she just couldn't take it had to let it out. Kotoko wanted to scream. She had to escape from all of this. Why her, of all people, had to put up with all of this? Why? Eventually, she felt her lungs were burning, and she came to halt. Kotoko sat on the street hopelessly, her hands covering her face. Her chest heaved up and down, and it became harder for her to breathe. She didn't know where she was now, but it didn't matter. What's important was that she was alone, or at least she felt, and she could cry as hard as she wanted.

Why was it so hard for him to understand that she wanted to feel important, that she wanted to be loved? Naoki was a genius, wasn't he? Why?

She'd been through this before, hadn't she? She even had to deal with women like Matsumoto Yuuko and her countless teasing before this. She was asked to be another man's wife, yet she turned him down for the sake of her love for Naoki. All for the sake of her love for Naoki.

She removed her hands from her face and wiped away her tears. She looked like a lost child. There was a street lamp a few steps away from her. She glance around, and found out she was in a different neighorhood.

So what now?

She put her hands on her chest, her right hand over her left. She was getting scared. Where on earth was this place?

She felt the wedding ring on her finger. She took a look at it and held it closer to her heart.

She had to be strong, she knew. But how was she supposed to do that? Wasn't her efforts in the past enough to prove her love? She didn't care if it made her look like a fool. It was all going to be worth it after Naoki finally set his eyes on her.

But she couldn't help feeling lonely and mad. Why? Why did it have to be her?

Kotoko was about to get up when she felt her back become heavier. A voice cooed on her ear, and two warm hands surrounded her waist. She felt a chin rest on her shoulder but when she tried to turn her head to see who it was, she was stunned.

"I had a hard time catching up on you."

_Irie-kun?_

"I'm sorry." He whispered on her ear. "I'm sorry."

Kotoko's tears once again streamed down her face. "Shh," Naoki cuddled her tightly and kissed her cheek.

"I-Irie-kun," Kotoko whimpered.

"I love you."

Three words changed everything. Her anger was gone, and a smile escaped her lips. A weird feeling on her chest was beginning to form, like her heart was being swallowed. She faced him and flung to his arms, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Say it one more time," Kotoko begged. Naoki smiled as he whispered on her ear again.

"I love you."

Until those words sank in her, the two of them remained in that spot. This was all she needed.

Kotoko pulled away. "Why?"

"Why?" Naoki repeated.

"Why did you chase after me?"

And then there it was; the familiar smirk appeared on his lips. "Silly. If I hadn't ran after you, I'm sure you're going to be lost."

There was a long pause, before Kotoko broke the silence. "I love you too." She told him. " I really, really do."

A few wisps of her hair was covering her face, so Naoki fixed them and pulled strands of her hair behind her ear. "I'm starting to remember. Bit by bit."

"Really?" Her face lit up at last.

"Yes," Naoki said as he got up and offered her a hand. "It's all coming back. Let's head home?"

But even before she could respond, Naoki took her hand and lead the way. She watched him drag her all the way back home, but it was okay. It was Naoki who was holding her hand afterall.

"There's going to be a lot of questions from Mother." He told her.

But Kotoko was too busy watching him to reply.

* * *

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	9. Chapter 8

Eight

It had been three months since that confession he made to Kotoko, and Naoki got really uncomfortable right after that. Words of affection sounded odd to him, but whenever she was around he felt it was just okay. That everything seemed just so right and perfect.

Except for one thing.

Something bugged him. Whenever he looked at her he knew something was wrong. Kotoko appeared to be alright, but he wasn't sure. He felt he was supposed to do—tell her something.

Kotoko filled his cup with coffee. Looking at her, he remembered the conversation they had that night three months ago. Without saying a word, they went up straight to their room. Kotoko held his hand and promised that she'd be willing to wait until he was fully recovered, and feeling the sincerity in her words, he agreed. The first few weeks that followed were normal, but not until recently when new flashbacks came appearing and rushing in his head one after another.

The first one occured when he was with her at the station. They were waiting for the train to arrive when his phone buzzed, and he reached out on his pockets to answer it. He stopped abruptly and saw a vision of the school hallway packed with noisy students near the female restroom. His phone rang, but he couldn't answer it because he couldn't make his way out. The ringing died, and when he was out, he decided to call back the caller.

He couldn't remember who he was talking with on the phone.

Kotoko smiled at him. His mind was back on the present. Naoki stretched his fingers to reach for the newspaper, but Kotoko immediately handed it over to him. He muttered thanks before going on with his hobby of reading the news, and took a sip of the coffee Kotoko prepared for him.

* * *

A little while later, Matsumoto Yuko sat next to him in English class. Her curly black hair was perfectly tied in a ponytail. Her eyes were on the board, but she wasn't paying attention to it at all. She leaned over to Naoki a little and asked how things were going on. He replied okay, but he wasn't feeling like it at all. He had a lot of things in his mind, and he didn't like the idea of sharing it with others. However, he did tell her one thing. She was the only person he told about his condition, knowing she was never going to spill this secret to anyone else. Kotoko made him promise not to tell another soul, but he made a comment about how trustworthy Yuko was. At first Kotoko was against it, but she eventually gave up knowing she could never win the argument. Naoki knew the two ladies weren't exactly on good terms, considering they treated each other rivals in stealing his heart. But he never cared about this matter for he never looked at Yuko the way she looked at his wife. Yuko was a good friend of his, and nothing more.

"I thought I could steal you away from your wife. I guess we weren't made for each other, were we?"

Naoki didn't respond.

Yuko giggled. "I'm kidding." She crossed her legs under the desk. "No, but seriously," This time she tilted her head to have a better look at his face. "How are things going on for the two of you?"

Naoki opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again. "We're fine," He said as he closed his English book. Students rose from their seats and began vacating the room. "I guess."

Yuko raised her eyebrows. "You sound so unsure."

_Yes, _Naoki's voice echoed in his head loud and clear, but he didn't say anything.

* * *

"Hey, Irie-kun," Kotoko said as she and Naoki walked past a number of stores on the street. "Can we stop by at Father's place later?"

"Sure." Naoki replied shortly. Kotoko muttered something out of ear shot. Distracted, Naoki shot a glance at her. "I'm sorry?"

Kotoko shook her head. "Nothing." Minutes came by. Kotoko knew Naoki as a quiet person, but today he was acting weird. Kotoko frowned. What could be the matter?

They were on the train home when she saw Naoki staring into space.

"Is there anything wrong?" Kotoko was becoming more and more worried. She waited for an answer, but it never came. She thought it'd be best to leave him alone for now.

* * *

"Kotoko!" Aihara Shigeo welcomed his daughter in his arms. "What brings you here, young lady?"

"Well I thought I'd just drop by. I don't see you around lately." Kotoko pulled away. "Are you _that_ busy?"

"Yeah," Mr. Aihara laughed. "There are a lot of customers. Everyone's busy cooking, delivering, running errands..." His voice trailed off. "Right, Kinnosuke?"

Kinnosuke was on the counter fixing towels. As soon as he heard Mr. Aihara, he looked up. "C-certainly!" He immediately went back to his towels.

"Kinnosuke, that guy," Mr. Aihara said as he watched the lad roll up his sleeve and walk to the kitchen. "He's very hardworking. A very dedicated man. No wonder that girl Chris fell in love with her."

Kotoko grinned at the mention of Chris' name. The blonde was cleaning up tables and putting away used plates on the tray. "Yep." Kotoko gave him a thumbs up. She really wanted Kin-chan and Chris to get together. She was feeling a little guilty for rejecting him before, so she tried to help him search for a new love. That's when Chris came.

"The guy's been very focused on this shop lately. He was willing to stay beyond working hours just to help me out. Bless him."

"As expected of Kin-chan!" Kotoko suddenly felt very proud of her friend. "Right Irie-kun?"

She turned to look at him, but Naoki wore a terrifying expression in his face. "Irie-kun?"

He was definitely glaring at something.

"Excuse me?"

It was Chris. She held an empty tray as she approached Naoki. "Can we talk?"

Naoki's expression changed as soon as he turned to her. "Now?" He looked a bit calmer now.

"Maybe some other time." Chris looked at Kotoko apologetically. "When it's just the two of us."

"I can leave if you want to!" Kotoko smiled. "Actually I-"

"But it might be better if are around."

Kotoko furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She didn't have a clue what Chris was talking about, but Naoki said yes, and the two of them left the shop. She tried to decipher anything from their conversation when Chris' words started to bother her. After a minute or two she gave up and so she asked Naoki. "What was that just now?"

The green light for the pedestrian was up, and Naoki grabbed her hand. When they had successfully crossed to the other side of the road, he dragged her to a much quieter place to explain. "It's something about you, and what really happened that time I fell off the stairs. It was no accident."


End file.
